Teachers Climate Guide supports diverse climate education in schools by addressing climate change from the viewpoint of each subject.

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What is Teacher’s climate guide?

Teacher’s climate guide is an education package for subject teachers. It explains climate change in the context of each school subject, and provides exercises and visual material. It also contains tips for multidisciplinary climate education, tips for integrating climate change in education and activities at the primary level, and basic information about climate change and climate education. Read more about the guide here.

The English translation is for international use and aimed at teachers around the world. The guide was originally made for Finnish subject teachers, and therefore Finland is often used as an example. Also, the school subjects for this guide were chosen according to the Finnish education system, but teachers in other countries are free to adapt the material to fit their own needs.

Why was it written?

The idea came from observations and studies suggesting that misconceptions about climate change are common among teachers. Although climate change is a multidisciplinary phenomenon linking organically to all school subjects, often subject teachers seem to think it is not for them to explore it in class. Also, textbooks often promote inadequate ideas about the topic.

Who is allowed to use the material?

The texts and exercises are available for teachers, environmental educators and those interested in the topic at no monetary cost. The material is licensed under the CC BY-NC licence, which grants the right to copy, distribute, display and perform the work for non-commercial purposes as long as appropriate credit is given.

The visual material is from Flickr and licensed under the Creative Commons. Thus it is freely available at no cost. However, please check the terms and conditions for modifying the content and for commercial use on case-by-case basis.

How to use the material?

The material is structured and written in a user-friendly way to help the teachers find the relevant information for their subject. Additionally, the guide provides tips for multidisciplinary climate education and climate education at the primary level.

For gaining a full picture of the topic, it is advisable to first read the chapters about the basics of climate change and climate education and then read through the texts linked to your own subject. It’s also suggested to read the non-related texts for inspiration – for instance, chemistry teachers could benefit from reading not only about physics and biology but also about social studies and music.

Who is behind this project?

The person behind the concept is a Finnish environmental educator, Pinja Sipari, who was awarded a grant from the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation. She administered the project from beginning to end, wrote most of the texts herself and gathered the exercises and visuals. Over 100 Finnish environmental and educational professionals, from teachers and scientists to active citizens, helped her compose the material. Getting involved was possible online and through the open workshops throughout the project.

Peikko Pitkänen translated the material from Finnish into English, and the translation was edited by Robin DeWan. The translation project got funding from the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. A big thank you!

The Finnish language version was published in August 2016. Material is updated on a regular basis by a group of volunteers. The English version came out at the beginning of 2018.

Help us to advertise!

If you want to spread the word about Teacher’s Climate Guide, feel free to share the link on social media or mailing lists, or print A4 posters and put them on school notice boards. Thank you for your help!

Contact details:

Should you have any questions, new ideas or offers for collaboration, please do not hesitate to contact Pinja:
pinja.sipari(at)gmail.com
mobile phone: +358 50 4617678